When the first smartphones were introduced, no one predicted a future that included constantly ducking into coffee shops to get a quick charge for a phone battery. But, here we are. Five years following the original iPhone introduction, mobile devices sport screens that are brighter and bigger, faster running processors and rapid 3G and 4G data connections.
However, phone battery life is close to the same as always, hardly enough for a full day of work. In spite of all the other advances, the phone battery life never seems to get any better.
Lithium-ion Phone Batteries
Customers may not realize that lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from laptops to smartphones, are actually three times better than they were in the mid-1990s. At the same time, the electronics they power are more than a thousand-fold improved. The big, bright display on the newer phones tends to draw a lot more power than the small, dim display on phones of the past. This puts more pressure on the battery. It forces the user to use the screen in moderation or go to an outlet for a charge.
Battery Size Matters
Size is another factor. Phones can have batteries that are light and thin and only last a day or ones that are bigger like before and last for three days. More energy can be packed into batteries, but they are not longer lasting because the phones are thinner. Lithium-ion has nearly reached the potential for capacity and at some point will not get better.
Mark Stoker, vice president of sales at K2 Energy Solutions, a Nevada battery-research company, is working on different types of batteries that may provide much more phone battery life and capacity. This new technology is expected to be available within a year or two.
Charging Phone Batteries
Lithium-iron phosphate batteries can be discharged and charged around twice the amount as the lithium-ion and still keep their capacity. They can also stand the high temperatures which cause batteries to degrade quickly in electronics. The problem is that lithium-iron cannot pack as much power in a small space like the lithium-ion, but rapid improvements are developing. These batteries are now being used in electric cars, but may soon be used as a phone battery.
Modern Phone Batteries
Other new technologies are aluminum-ion and Lithium-imide batteries. They promise from 10 to 50 percent more energy using the same quantity of space as the lithium-ion battery, longer battery life overall, quicker charging, and react better to heat. Some can be used in the same equipment as lithium-ion batteries, meaning they’ll cost the same.
If there is a demand, these improvements will show up in the consumer industry, because users need phones that do not have to be babied all through the day. They also want smaller, more improved and faster devices. The right balance will soon be found and smartphone users will no longer be stuck to that wall outlet.
While You’re Waiting for a Better Battery…
Unfortunately, many smartphones become trash because the user cannot be bothered (or doesn’t have the technical understanding) to swap the battery for a new one. The process is usually not as simple as opening the battery door and slipping in a fresh battery.
Until battery life significantly improves, you’ll benefit from having a professional smartphone repair company replace your battery — it is much more inexpensive and convenient to keep your current phone. With iFixYouri, you can simply ship your device to the experienced technicians, who will return your item back to you, new battery installed.